1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a female terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
A female terminal fitting disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-243076 includes a tubular main body portion (called an “electrical contact portion” in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-243076) into which a male tab is inserted, and a resilient contact piece deflectably arranged in the main body portion and configured to resiliently come into contact with the male tab (called a “male terminal” in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-243076). Further, excessive deflection preventing pieces formed by being cut and bent inwardly to prevent excessive deflection of the resilient contact piece are provided on opposite side walls of the main body portion.
In the above case, as the excessive deflection preventing pieces are formed, holes are open on the opposite side walls. Thus, there has been a possibility that external matters enter the main body portion through the holes. Particularly, since the holes are located near a contact portion where the resilient contact piece comes into contact with the male tab, there has been a possibility that an external matter having entered through the hole adheres to the contact portion and there has been a concern that electrical contact reliability is impaired. Further, since the holes are provided on the opposite side walls, there has been also a concern that the strength of the main body portion is reduced.
The present invention was completed based on the above situation and aims to provide a female terminal fitting capable of preventing excessive deflection of a resilient contact piece even without forming a hole on a side wall of a main body portion.